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Why was the car in the HOV lane when there was only 1 person in it? The bike has a right to be in the HOV lane regardless. Road rage is so stupid. It's like grown men/women fighting with adolescents. Just be the bigger man/woman and move on. Unless your vehicle was actually struck then nothing happened anyway. If someone cuts me off, I don't even honk at them or ride their ass and flip them off. I just change lanes or if I can't, just back off them cause if they already cut you off, chances are they aren't a good driver and might rear end someone ahead or something.
We talked about the importance of your eyes and focusing on where you want to go in the last article. There is nothing more essential to great driving, or more basic, than the main concept that the car will go where you’re looking. You don’t steer the car with your hands, you steer with your eyes. If you look where you want to go, with your head and eyes, the rest will follow; you’ll automatically turn the steering wheel in the right direction and the car will travel in that direction. If you continue steering with your eyes, you’ll make the minor adjustments necessary to correct the car’s path, whether the obstacle is moving or your car starts to skid."
The car tends to go where you are looking. The cyclist distracted the driver, and the driver drove where he was looking.
I have a bridge to sell you if after watching the video you really believe that's why the driver veered left.
When's the last time you saw something surprising on the road and reflexively slammed your car into it? We'd be like moths to a flame if that's how driving worked.
Anyway, if one doesn't have the motor control to keep a vehicle in a lane when their eyes are looking elsewhere, they have no business driving. Scanning your surrounding is part of safe driving.
I have a bridge to sell you if after watching the video you really believe that's why the driver veered left.
When's the last time you saw something surprising on the road and reflexively slammed your car into it? We'd be like moths to a flame if that's how driving worked.
Anyway, if one doesn't have the motor control to keep a vehicle in a lane when their eyes are looking elsewhere, they have no business driving. Scanning your surrounding is part of safe driving.
In my first post in this thread I described watching an incident very similar to this one where there was a happier outcome.
Why do you think rubbernecking at accidents and people pulled over on the side of the road is discouraged?
My husband (who rides a bike) and I had a rather heated argument about this the other night. He maintains that the car is at fault because he started the whole chain reaction by cutting off the bike. I maintain that the bike is at fault, because he took the law into his hands and kicked the car after a traffic incident.
The bike had every opportunity to drive off. Scream, yell, flip the driver off, get a license number and call the cops - whatever. But the moment he made contact with the car deliberately he became at fault (IMO).
I don't know anything about the driver of the car, but if I, a woman, had done something stupid or illegal while driving (and who hasn't at some point?), and had a guy on a bike chase me down and repeatedly kick my car, I might swerve to get him to stop.
Years ago, I was pushed out of a fast lane on a 70 mph freeway by a car full of teenagers. I had nowhere to go but into the median, where I drove on the grass, hoping I didn't hit any obstructions, until I was able to get back into traffic. I had a choice at that point. I could chase down those teens for their dangerous and illegal action, or let it go. The bike had that same choice.
Well thankfully, your opinion does not really matter in a legal standpoint. As a former insurance adjuster, I would go after the driver of the car for all damages.
Your husband is the reason many people can't stand motorcyclists. How the hell is it rational to believe that if a car driver makes a mistake while driving that a person on a motorcycle now has the right to intentionally damage their personal property? It is this mentality that directly led to the crash. If the asshat on the bike had not committed a crime by attempting to intentionally damage the car, the crash most likely would not have happened.
I bolded part of your post because it matches up with how I have told my spouse to handle a situation like this. If she makes a mistake and somebody can't contain their road rage and starts chasing her, kicking her car, etc. she should consider that a serious threat to her life and use any and all means to end that threat including shoving some biker into a concrete median.
I myself have hit a window of a car while riding a bike. It is a reaction when something is impeding into your space and going to hit you. It is not a threat, it is a "hey fool, you are coming into my space and you need to watch out"
Well thankfully, your opinion does not really matter in a legal standpoint. As a former insurance adjuster, I would go after the driver of the car for all damages.
I am glad you are a former one
Can you explain why the motorcyclist didn't bother to stop if it was all on driver of that car?
Can you explain why the motorcyclist didn't bother to stop if it was all on driver of that car?
Since we're all throwing out "what if's" anyway here's a silly take on that one. Aside from it being the normal and decent thing to have done, had he not contributed to the accident; the biker could very well explain that he had already experienced the driver of the car attempting to kill him by ramming him into the divider concrete and after seeing him impact the wall thought about stopping but, then considered he might still be under threat from a car driver in a fit of rage now even angrier, perhaps clubbing him to death with a tire iron or something so just kept on driving totally and blissfully unaware of the accident that occurred behind him.
Silly, I know but, his lawyer's going to put forth exactly that premise if the biker's ever tracked down. He will do so with all displayed sincerity as a completely plausible explanation for the biker simply riding on after witnessing the cause of his nearly being mashed into the concrete suffering the same fate. He only has to answer for his not stopping after seeing his antagonist hitting the divider wall. He can claim total and complete ignorance of the resultant and further carnage that happened behind him. It will be upon the court or prosecutor to "prove" he had knowledge of that part of his display of stupidity.
As I've said earlier; if getting angry enough that you are going to go head to head on a Harley, weighing in total with rider no more than a 1000 lbs, with vehicles weighing in excess of triple that...you're not surviving long. If getting angry is your default response as a motorcycle rider every time a "cager" does something stupid so as to cause you concern.......you are going to be perpetually angry with a stress level and pulse rate to match and perhaps taking up hang gliding or taking the bus being more commiserate to your liking and longevity.
I watched once as a car passenger in a vehicle stopped in a traffic jam opened his door to force a biker passing on the shoulder into the toolies and immediately thought what kind of cretin does something like that but, then considered how people get so remarkably bent over anything at all on the highways that serves to impede their desired progress and immediately concluded someone already angry isn't going to carefully think out the results their actions have the potential to cause.
I've ridden for years and anyone riding a Harley can tell you how miserably hot those things get when idling in a traffic jam and I've often just pulled onto the shoulder to shut the thing down, take off the helmet and sit back on the passenger seat to lean back against the tour pack and listen to Steppenwolf.
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